Way Back To Your Heart
by animelover1597
Summary: Fuji had Tezuka's child. But, Tezuka is completely unaware of it. How will he react when he finds out? Will Fuji have the courage to tell him? Full summary inside.Read and Review!Perfect pair, AU, FEMFUJI! enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Life of Fuji Syuurei

**Hey guys! This is my second fanfic. I love the Perfect Pair. Please read and review. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except this story.**

**Character change: Fuji is a female character. Yuuta is Fuji's only sibling. He is her older brother.**

**Pairings: Perfect Pair, RyoSaku, FujiXSanada (I might add more later).**

**Summary: Fuji Syuurei finds some old journals in her attic. She wants to tell her son the truth about his father. She gathers the courage to tell him the truth but only finds it shattered when she meets her long lost love- Tezuka. Circumstances do not permit the two to be together again. How will this affect the lives of those who are close to them?**

**A/N: Bad at summaries but I promise the story will be a nail-biting one.**

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><p><strong>Way Back To Your Heart<strong>

**Chapter 1: The Life of Fuji Syuurei**

She was cleaning her attic when she came across a box. She opened it up and found her son's first book, his past report cards and some picture albums and then she found an even smaller box. When she ripped it open she was glad to find what she had been searching for.

In the box were few books. They were here diaries. She read the date on them and opened up the one that she had kept when she was in the first year of high school. Her son, Naoki, deserved to know the truth and she decided to use these diaries to reveal it to him. She was scared of how he would react to it but, he was old enough now. She opened up the diary she held in her hand randomly and read the first entry on that page.

It read:

_21__st__ Sept. 2001_

_Today was the best day of my life. I got selected as the captain of the girl's tennis team. I can finally stand at the same position as Tezuka Kunimitsu. I hope he knows I exist now…_

She read the first two lines of that entry and skipped to a few days ahead.

_30__th__ Sept. 2001_

_Tezuka left his book with in the biology lab. He has a test next week so we'll be meeting over the weekend so I can return his book._

She read a few more entries when her son- Naoki- walked towards her. She quickly hid the books in the box.

"Mom? What are you doing in here all by yourself?" he asked.

"Oh nothing. Just looking at a few photos." She said handing the photos over to her son.

He glanced at them and replied "Oh Mom! Those are embarrassing! Anyways, Uncle Yuuta says dinner is ready."

"Tell him I'll be right there"

"Ok"

The minute he was gone, she stuffed all the diaries and other things back in the box. She wiped a tear from her eye and went to eat dinner.

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><p><strong>Naoki's POV<strong>

Mom was definitely hiding something from me. Why else would she have tears in her eyes? Could it have been something related to dad? Why am I getting thoughts like this? Mom would never hide anything from me.

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><p><strong>Yuuta's POV<strong>

Why was Syuu so upset over dinner? I thought as I lay in bed that night. She must have been thinking about _him_. I hope she was only searching for those journals because she wanted Naoki to know his father. He's already ten years old. I'm sure he'll be able to understand the truth about his father.

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><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

She had a meeting with the chairman of a very important company. She took a shower and got dressed. As she glanced in the mirror she felt like something was missing. She stared at herself for sometime and realized what it was.

She opened her jewelry box to find something her hardly ever wore. She held it in her hand and let the memories come back to her.

_It was her birthday and she was sure that it would be a good day. She only got to celebrate her birthday properly only once every four years since it was on the 29__th__ of February. She walked to her class where she found him smiling._

"_Happy Birthday" he said and kissed her softly._

"_Thanks." She replied. But before they could talk more the bell rang._

_That evening, at the party Tezuka gave her his present. When she opened the little red box she found a white gold chain with a pendant shaped like a tiny diamond ring._

That necklace symbolized Tezuka's faithfulness to her but the future held very different things in both their lives.

She opened her eyes and wiped away a few tears. She kept the ring back in its place. She wanted to wear it as a lucky charm but was sure that she wouldn't be able to bear remembering him. After all, Naoki reminded her of him every single minute.

She walked to her son's room and drew the curtains. The sunlight woke him up.

"Mom!" he said rubbing his eyes.

"Rise and shine sweetheart."

"Don't you have a really important meeting today Mom?" that was just like Naoki. He was a little too responsible. It sometimes made _her_ feel like a child.

"I don't want to go for such an important meeting without seeing my Naoki first. You're my good luck charm remember?"

Yuuta interrupted them.

"Syuurei. We've got to go."

"Ok. Naoki, don't give Grandma too much trouble, ok?"

"Good luck Mom. Good luck Uncle Yuuta."

"Let's go!" Yuuta said eagerly.

She got her Mercedes out of the garage and sped down the street.

"You ready for this?" Yuuta asked from the passenger seat.

"Aniki! I was ready to establish my own company I think I'm ready for this deal."

"But it _is_ a two million dollar deal. Although you don't have to really worry since your chairman can handle it." Yuuta said raising his collar.

"I'm sure he'll be great." Syuurei said playing along.

The meeting went well and Syuurei's company now owned a sports magazine.

Syuurei drove to pick her son up from school. On the way she saw a sports shop. This gave her an idea. She sped up.

She was five minutes early but she wanted to surprise him so she went to his class and asked the teacher if she could take him home early. He was overjoyed since this meant that the deal was done. She drove him to the sports shop she had seen down the road and parked there.

"Mom, why are we stopping here?" Naoki asked.

"You've been a very good boy lately so I thought of getting you a little present. Let's go."

They got out of the car and walked into the shop.

"You're pretty good at tennis already Naoki. You're already vice captain of your team. I want you to be captain next year." she said.

"Mom, I know you want to see me as a captain and I assure that I will be the captain next year. But, to ensure that could you-um…" he hesitated.

"Could I what Naoki?"

"Could you coach me?" he asked.

"Sure. Let's get you a new racquet first shall we?"

They saw different types of racquets in the shop but Syuurei was shocked when she realized that the racquet her son had picked was and updated version of the one she used to use when she was in high school- it was a Prince (Michael Chang titanium). She had a feeling her son was going to turn out to be a Tensai as well. She was yet to discover how similar he was to his father in ways other than his looks and habits.

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><p><strong>AN: 2****ND**** Chapter will be focused on Tezuka. Reviews are appreciated. If anyone wants to change anything in the story, review and let me know. Also, let me know about pairings you want me to include in this story.**

**P.S: cayleyjanssen, thanks for the inspiration.**


	2. Chapter 2: Return of a Stoic Captain

**A/N: Tezuka had been in rehabilitation for two years and then was joined by Echizen to change the world of tennis. Ryoga is Ryoma's blood brother. Also, thanks for the reviews! They really light up my world! :D Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters in this story. **

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><p><strong>Way Back To Your Heart<strong>

**Chapter 2: Return of a stoic captain**

**Tezuka's POV**

Ryoma had finished his match that day so we caught the flight back to Japan together.

"Finally! We'll be home. Na, bucho?" Ryoma muttered.

"Hmm." said Tezuka being a man of few words.

"Oh come on! You've been awaiting this for the past ten years!" Echizen grumbled.

"I know." He replied. He couldn't tell Echizen that he was dreading to go back home because he would have to face _her. _He knew that he would not be able to face the fact that he had chosen his career over her and would end up losing his cool and hurting her.

"You're scared she married or something right?" Ryoma commented.

"Oh no. She has the right to do whatever she wants." He said the words, but they seemed like a lie to him. He had been telling himself the same lie for the past ten years. He still hoped that she had waited for him but the chances of that happening were very slim since he kept her waiting for ten years.

Tezuka had left in the second year of high school to go to a special school in Germany where they trained skilled students to become professionals. Echizen joined him two years later. Echizen had mentioned that Syuurei- Tezuka's girlfriend for three years- had dropped out of Seigaku unexpectedly a few months after he left. Her older brother Yuuta was still in St. Rudolph and her dad was also there. Only Syuurei and her mother seemed to have 'disappeared'. Tezuka was under the impression that her parents were getting divorced but after speaking to his mother he came to know that they were still together but Syuurei had to relocate because of health reasons.

He didn't speak to Syuurei after that. He tried sending her emails but not one of them got a reply. Eventually, he gave up. She was clearly ignoring him. He figured that she had started dating someone else and hoped that he treated her right but, his love for her never died. He looked at a picture of her every night and imagined how life would have been if he could choose both, his career and love.

Echizen and Tezuka roamed the world together and won every match they played. They were always competing for the world No. 1 spot. The only difference between both their lives was that Ryoma was in touch with the love of his life-Ryuzaki Sakuno. Tezuka envied Ryoma for this.

Ryoma had grown taller over the years. He was almost Tezuka's height. His face resembled his older brother Ryoga. The only thing that hadn't changed about him was his cocky attitude. His tennis resembled his fathers a lot but also like his father, he never let anyone see his weaknesses easily. He had really been Seigaku's pillar of support during Tezuka's absence and had made the team strong enough that they never lost the finals after that. They were far ahead of the former champions-Rikkaidai.

"This flight will be landing in Tokyo in fifteen minutes." The flight attendant announced disrupting Tezuka's train of thought.

All the procedures went well thanks to the help of their body guards who helped them get out of the crowds of people that had formed to get their autographs. They found Nanjiroh and Kuniharu waiting at the airport for them. They greeted their parents and head out. The moment they stepped out of the airport they were surrounded by paparazzi. Also, to their surprise the airport had arranged a limo for each of them. They both got in their respective limos with their fathers and body guards and head home.

"Your mother will be so surprised." Kuniharu told his son.

"You didn't tell her yet?"

"I only came to know yesterday! And forgive me for trying to surprise your mother."

"Hmm."

"You haven't changed a bit. You're just like your grandfather."

"How is he?" Tezuka was extremely close to his grandfather. People often told him that he was his grandfather's reflection and this made him quite proud of himself.

"As healthy as a horse."

"That's good. At his age people start getting weak."

"Oh! Not him! He's as active as ever."

"That's good."

The rest of the ride back home was a silent one.

On arriving home Ayana Tezuka was overjoyed to see her son.

"Couldn't you have informed me?"

"I called dad. He wanted to surprise you."

"Oh. Anyway, your room is ready. I've maintained it well in your absence. I've been waiting so long for this day."

"Thanks." He said heading up to his room.

Nothing had changed since he left. Everything was in place. The curtains and sheets were a light blue shade and the room looked just how he had left it. Except, it was much neater. He could smell lavender in the air. His mother must have sprayed it there.

He looked at the mirror. The only thing that seemed to have changed was him. His brown hair was the same but his face looked much older. His stoic expression was still intact. His hazel eyes showed how much he lacked sleep. They had dark circles under them. He had grown much taller. His arms showed prominent muscles. He had really changed a lot. He sighed and began unpacking.

He was still unpacking when his mother came in with some snacks.

"Are you going to stay here for long?" she asked, handing him his favourite green tea. He sipped it and really felt at home.

"Maybe for a year or two. My schedule doesn't permit me any more time. Although, I may have to go back in between."

"You should get in touch with your friends. Especially Kikumaru and Oishi."

He stared at his mother. Her soft eyes were so concerned. Her smile was friendly but she looked worried at the same time. Her eyes had slight wrinkles around them but she looked young in spite of that. He knew what she meant when she said 'friends'. But, he didn't want to argue with her. He decided to just ignore it.

"I spoke to Oishi last night. I'll be meeting him tomorrow. I've noticed grandpa is not at home." He said trying to change the topic.

"Yeah. He went to Chiba with some of his friends." This brought a lump in his throat. Chiba was the place _she_ had grown up in. Even if it was a lie, why couldn't his family just understand the fact that he was happy without her?

"You shouldn't have let him go alone at his age. Especially not somewhere so far away."

"You know how he is. You can't argue with him. Just like you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well, sometimes being stubborn can be bad."

He understood the double meaning in his mother's words. He couldn't help himself now. He had to keep his mother from assuming that he still loved Syuurei. Even if it was the truth.

"I know you wanted me to marry Syuurei, Mom. But I made my decision. I loved her but she's probably married to someone else now. Besides, I always knew that if I had to be successful I had to sacrifice something. Besides, it's not like she's the only girl in the world. I'll find someone much better than her. Trust me." He replied.

"I know. But I can't imagine anyone who can make you happier than she did." She said as she walked out of the room.

This left Tezuka thinking. Couldn't he have been like Echizen? Could he have been with Syuurei right now? But he had done his best. He sent her emails; he called up her father's house. But not once did she contact him. He didn't know anything about her anymore. He didn't even know if she was in Japan.

He decided to freshen up. He had an important interview the next day. It was for a sports magazine. He really needed to attend this interview as it was an international company and if they liked him they would probably even hike his ratings. Popularity is the goal when you are a celebrity.

Unfortunately, he didn't sleep well that night. He had a dream about her.

_He had won a match against Echizen and was No. 1 again. He was about to throw his sweat bands and racquet into the crowd when he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. She was beautiful. She was his Syuurei. Her beautiful blue eyes looked deep into his hazel ones. She looked exactly like she did in high school. Her honey brown hair was a little below her shoulders and her small frame made him feel like she needed protection. She was smiling like always. But, her eyes were open. He walked towards her but, the moment he was close enough to touch her, she disappeared. The whole scene was dark it was only him now._

He woke up in cold sweat. His room was bright. He glanced at the clock. It was 5 AM.

He wiped the sweat off his face. He grabbed a towel and went for a shower. He could feel the hot water relax his muscles. He looked into the mirror. His face didn't show that he hadn't slept well. He hoped he could stay awake through the interview. The exhaustion of the flight and a night of disturbed sleep had really got it out of him. He sighed, and got dressed and grabbed the visiting card containing the address of the place. He told his mother that he was going out and hired a taxi. He entered it with his bodyguard and handed the address card to the driver. He wasn't aware of the address but he didn't need to bother about things like that.

He was going to meet Oishi today. He might know something about Syuurei. While Tezuka was dating Syuurei in high school, Oishi and Syuurei got pretty close. Other than Oishi, Sakuno was the only one who might have known something. He couldn't ask her since she would tell Echizen and he didn't want anyone to know that he was still in love with her. It might ruin his whole purpose of coming back to Japan. He could easily make Oishi think that he just inquired about Syuurei because they used to date. He knew that Echizen would understand everything the minute he mentioned her.

The taxi stopped and on the notice board of the building, it was mentioned that Tezuka Kunimitsu was to be interviewed by the owner and chairman of Fuji Film Plans. He asked the driver if it was the right address and he confirmed it. Could it be? His heart skipped a beat. If it was, then he would be lucky. So, he headed in with his body guard tailing behind him.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry about the cliff- hanger. The next chapter is called "Intertwined Fate". Tezuka meets Syuurei in this one. I love reviews so don't forget to hit the review button. Also, let me know who you want Syuurei to be with. Thanks for reading! :D**


	3. Chapter 3: So Close Yet So Far

**Hey PoT fans! Sorry it took this long to upload. My exams just ended so I didn't have time to write… Gomen! I know I said that Tezuka and Fuji (Syuurei) would be meeting in this chapter but I didn't want to rush with the story so, that will be happening in one of the upcoming chapters called "Intertwined Fate". It's all typed out and ready to be uploaded but I want to move on with the story a bit more before it could reach that point. Thanks for all the reviews! They are really appreciated. R&R! =D**

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><p><strong>Way Back To Your Heart<strong>

**Chapter 3: So Close Yet So Far**

He felt as though he was being toyed with by some greater being. How unfair this was! First, fate had given him success only by making him choose between the two most important things in his life. He had sacrificed love and now that he was at a peak in his career, at such a point that even the strongest player couldn't really _defeat_ him, it was that very same fate which was now showing him the forbidden fruit-tempting him to take a bite.

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><p><strong>Tezuka's POV<strong>

I was so used to having a driver that I didn't bother to first look at the address myself. I just handed it over to the driver! How careless of me. Had I known this was where I was going, I would have come a bit more prepared. Well, if it had to come to this, then so be it.

My bodyguard took his position near the door when I met my manager. He had curly jet black hair and deep black eyes. He didn't have a very big or strong looking frame-which made him look slightly feminine- but I knew not to test his strength, he was not the weakling he appeared to be. He was on of _her_ worst enemies since he made her brother learn a shot that could probably break his arm.

"Mizuki-san!' I called out

"Tezuka-kun! It's been a while. Shall we go?"

"Sure. I just need to enquire about something first. I'll meet you there." I knew my manager must have been too busy to check this out so asking him would be of no use. Besides, if he knew, I wouldn't be standing in this building. There were a lot of times when my manager had labeled even thinking of her 'forbidden'. I was paying him to keep me focused on my career and that was exactly what doing, so, I never blamed him. But there were times I wished he would just ease up on me.

I sighed and walked to the reception. A beautiful young woman was sitting at the desk with a phone to her ear. She was in her twenties and had the same hair colour as Syuurei. I brushed off that thought. I had to stay focused.

"Excuse me Miss," I said.

She looked up at me and her eyes widened. I seemed to have that effect on people everywhere I went and often wondered why.

"Yes Sir, how may I help you?'

"Can you tell me if anyone by the name of Fuji Syuurei works in this company?" This felt absurd. I was just inquiring because the company's name and her name were the same. But, here were a dozen Fuji's in Japan! Although, I couldn't really help but feel that she was very close.

"I'm afraid no one of that name works here sir." She said and at that very moment I wanted to kick myself for even hoping that she would be. "Although." That one word seemed to get me pumped up again. I was definitely going to regret this. "This company does belong to her."

I composed my self enough to whisper a "Thank you." I didn't know how I really felt at that moment. I was shocked, relieved, and for some reason furious. But, I was most in awe. I knew Syuurei was capable of doing something like this. After all, she loved her camera- back in the day, there were times Eiji used to tell her that she would marry it someday. But I never thought that she would be _this_ successful in a mere span of ten years. Then again I never thought that for myself either

If she _was_ the owner, then that meant that I was going to be interviewed by her in no time. If my manager knew this he would probably jump off the world's tallest building. So, I would have to keep this little 'detail' to myself.

Mizuki - my manager- was in the same middle school and high school as Fuji's older brother. They were in the same year. And there was a time I got to play Mizuki. He was a highly skilled player but, I managed to win it easily. Even then he was known to collect data on people-very much like Inui. A few months after that a certain event lead Mizuki to challenge Syuurei in a match and Syuurei beat him-literally- with her eyes closed. Since then through our high school years, he gave himself the title of Syuurei's 'destined rival' and even after he and Yuuta graduated he managed to challenge Syuurei from time to time in our final year.

Unfortunately for him, the result was always the same. No one could understand what he wanted to prove, but finally losing to Syuurei on a regular basis got humiliating and he gave up. That was the last we had heard from him.

To me, he had practically vanished from the face of the earth-not that I cared back then- till I became a professional tennis player. After the first eight months of my play he contacted me through Yuuta and begged to become my manager. At first I only agreed because it would be some sort of a link to Syuurei but then I realized how helpful he actually was.

Together we had worked hard and he observed all my weakness and prepared training sessions to help me overcome them. He reminded me of Inui-without the dreadful Inui juice that is. I shrugged as I thought of the one time I had accidentally taken a sip of that dreadful beverage.

I walked towards the elevator and waited for the doors to open. There was a woman in the elevator who clearly was a fan. I asked her which floor I would have to go to in order to get to the interview room. She clicked the button that read "Top Authority" and told me I would have to take the first right from there. I thanked her and walked out of the elevator.

She might have been pretty. I stopped looking at people's faces for about ten years now. It just didn't matter anymore. The one face I really wanted to see was the one face I couldn't. So, why did it matter?

I walked the down the empty hall and took the first right. I could see that the first room over there had a star on the door so I figured it must be my room. I walked up to it.

I was right. The gold star had my name on it so; I turned the knob and head inside. I closed the door behind me and settled on the chair.

Syuurei owned this company- the woman had said. When I first saw the name I expected it to be run by her father. The last time I had seen him, he was very sick. I didn't really get any news on any of the Fujis after I began chasing success.

All I could think about was how close I was to meeting her.

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><p><strong>Syuurei's POV<strong>

A knock on my door woke me up. My room was quite dark. I definitely hadn't overslept. I stared at my alarm clock. 4:12 it read. Who was it at this time?

I got out of bed and fixed my robe as I turned the knob of my bedroom door. I expected it to be my mother or brother but, it was a crying Naoki.

My heart melted at the sight and I embraced my son.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I had a bad dream mom. Can I sleep here tonight?"

"Sure. There's plenty of room."

I put him to bed and lay beside him. What could have frightened him so much? Well, he was a child so it was bound to happen. He _was_ afraid of the dark after all. I lay there staring at his face and finally fell asleep.

The next thing I heard was the sound of my alarm. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. My room was brighter and my clock read 6:00. I only had to get to work at 10:00 but I liked having some alone time while everyone else was asleep. Naoki was sleeping soundly so I got out of bed without a sound, grabbed my things and took a shower.

The hot water running down my body made me feel like I was in heaven. Getting out of the shower felt almost impossible but I would have to wake Naoki up soon. If I stayed in the shower any longer the whole purpose of waking up early would be defeated.

I got dressed and brushed my teeth. I grabbed the hair dryer and crept downstairs. After I had finished drying my hair I switched on my laptop. I was about to check my email when my cell phone rang.

"Hello."

"Good morning Ma'am" it was my assistant.

"Good morning Elric, tell me, what is it?"

Elric my assistant had just moved here from the United States and had an American accent so understanding what he was trying to say was indeed very difficult for others but for me it was fine.

"Actually ma'am, I just found out from Mr. Yuuta that he was supposed to be conducting an interview today" he said. That was just like my older brother. He was early to work again. I hadn't even noticed he wasn't there at home. "The problem is" he continued, disrupting my train of thought, "that he was supposed to be conducting this interview with Keira and she just called in sick. I was told to ask you if you would assist him in the job."

He waited for an answer patiently as I thought.

"What time is this interview?"

"At 11 o'clock Ma'am."

"Tell Aniki I'll be there. Do you have any idea who I will be interviewing?"

"No Ma'am. Sir didn't tell me anything more."

"Thank you Elric."

"Good bye"

I clicked the end button. I didn't really like interviewing people but I guess I would have to do this one. I got ready for work and asked my Mother to wake Naoki up for me. I grabbed my cloak and drove to work only to find that I would be interviewing Tezuka Kunimitsu.

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><p><strong>AN: For those who reviewed thanks a lot! :D. For the rest of you guys...Review! Or else…**

**~Ja ne**


	4. Chapter 4: Preparation

**Hey Pot fans! Really sorry for taking so long to update. I've been really busy lately.**

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><p><strong>Response to reviews:<strong>

**FullMetalAlchemistFreak :D- Thanks for the well rounded reviews and for being my beta. I named the assistant Elric to see if it would bother you. I can't believe it actually did! :P**

**RockPrincess410**- **I don't really have anything to say since I explained everything to you personally. Except of course –THANK YOU!**

**Yukitenshixxx****- I agree with you. Fuji is a bit ooc. That was something I did so that she is different from Syusuke. Otherwise people end up picturing Syusuke. But I'll try to stick to the character as much as possible.**

**Seishirou Hitsugaya- I will try to upload more often.**

**MomoKaidoh4eva- They will meet in the chapter called "Intertwined Fate."**

**To the rest of you guys who enjoy the story but don't review, thanks for reading. :D**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: According to Google, Bing and other search engines, PoT or any of the characters except this plot itself don't belong to me. :(<strong>

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><p><strong>Way Back To Your Heart<strong>

**Chapter 4: Preparation**

**Syuurei's POV**

I had never faced such a situation in my entire life! It was as though somebody was playing a game called Destiny and I was just a game piece. The gamer seemed to be making sure that the game- my life- would take a turn for the bad every time sonething good happened.

I had made up my mind that I would never let Tezuka back in my life. But my luck was so rotten that he sat right front of me. It felt like pouring vinegar over a fresh wound. It stung- bad.

On the bright side, he couldn't see me since he was sitting in the interview room which had a one way glass to keep the people inside concentrated on their work.

He sat there by himself which meant that he hadn't met Aniki yet. I still had time. If I could send someone else to do the interview he had no chance of meeting me.

Before I could arrange for anything I decided to take one last look at the person I had been craving to see for almost a decade.

His face-although more mature in someways- looked the same as it did in high school. His hazel brown hair was the same- perfectly messy. His stoic expression was still intact. Although I didn't want to look at his eyes-that always seemed to go on forever- my blue orbs connected with his hazel ones. Once again I felt grateful for the window taint. His arms showed prominent muscles even through his jacket. He was absolutely perfect.

I couldn't help but think about our time together. A tear trickled down my eye as a thought flashed through my mind.

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><p><em>*flashback*<em>

_I was woken by the sound of my cell phone ringing. I switched the bed side lamp on. My eyes were still adjusting themselves when I answered the call-without looking at the caller's name. _

"_Hello?" I said half- asleep._

"_Happy Birthday Syuu" I didn't have to ask who it was. I could recognize that voice even if I hadn't heard it for a thousand years._

_I glanced at my clock that claimed that I would turn fifteen in just one hour. It was the first of March today- the day I generally celebrated my birthday since I was born on 29__th__ February._

"_Thanks" I replied. I couldn't help but blush._

"_Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"_

"_Hmm… not really. Why? Do you want to go on a date Mitsu?" I teased._

"_Even on your birthday, you can't help but be a sadist."_

"_Hey! It's _my _birthday! Others have to be nice to_ me!"

"_I was only joking. You're not the only one who can be a sadist you know."_

_Tezuka usually spoke only a few words around others. But with me, he was an open book. He could speak his mind whenever he felt like._

"_You go back to sleep. I'll be there to walk you to school at 7 o'clock so don't be late." Tezuka said._

"_Goodnight Mitsu. I love you."_

"_Goodnight. I love you too."_

_The next evening, I had to attend a party my parents had organized for me. My friends- although they were too modest to accept it- played a huge part in making that day perfect. _

_I looked at myself in the mirror before I could leave for the party. My honey brown hair was pinned up into a bun. My gorgeous purple dress hugged my figure perfectly. I didn't wear much jewellery-just earrings. My strappy black heels complimented my dress further. The only reason I agreed to wear heels was that they added some height. This way, I could finally stand at eye level with Tezuka._

_I didn't really care about my appearance as much as other girls of my age did. I never wore make up or anything too fancy which Tezuka seemed to find amusing. My appearance today was all my best friends'- Sakuno and Eiji- doing. _

_My brother drove me to the Seigaku Gymnasium where we generally celebrated special occassions. I received birthday wishes, hug and presents from almost all the people present there. _

_My friends had decorated the gym. There was a stage which had a brightly decorated banner which read 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUJI SYUUREI!'_

_I thanked my family and friends for everything and we cut a lip smacking chocolate cake._

_We had partied for about an hour when my brother came to me with a note._

"_Meet me on the roof" it read. I recognized the elegant handwriting and rushed upstairs._

"_Happy Birthday Syuu" said Tezuka once again before pressing his lips against mine._

"_Sorry I was a bit late. I was trying to find the perfect gift" he said fetching a small red box from his jacket. He opened the box to reveal a white gold chain that had a pendant shaped like a tiny diamond ring._

"_A ring symbolizes eternity as it has no beginning and no end." Tezuka said. "That's how long I will love you."_

* * *

><p>I stepped out of the thought with a shrug and stormed my way to my brother's cabin. He was sitting calmly at his desk and smiled when he saw me.<p>

"Why is he here?" I decided to cut to the chase.

"Why is who here?" my brother replied innocently.

"Oh don't you dare do that! You know who I'm talking about."

"Oh! You mean Tezuka-kun? He's here to be interviewed by us. Didn't Elric inform you about it?"

I was a photographer not an interviewer. That was why I was skeptical when my assistant called me up this morning to tell me I would be interviewing someone. I was even more cynical about the situation when he said he didn't know who it was that I was supposed to be interviewing. It all made sense now. My brother was trying to get us together again!

"What do you mean by us? Since when did you start taking decisions for me?"

"Since when you decided to act like a child and run away from problems instead of facing them!"

"Aniki? I'm not ready for this yet. I'll talk to him when I am. Besides, didn't I tell you to keep away from him?"

"It's not like I asked him to come here" replied my brother. No one would have guessed that he was lying. His voice gave nothing away. But I knew my brother well. So well that I could say that whenever he looked away from the person he was talking to, he wasn't being completely honest.

"You did didn't you? You invited him here." I asked opening my eyes. My brother was a horrible liar and he knew that. I was absolutely positive that this was all his doing.

"Fine. But I did it for you, for Naoki. He's ten years old Syuu he deserves to know who his father is" my brother tried 'talking sense into me.'

"I'll tell him when he's ready. When I'm ready. And that's final. Till then, cancel the interview or get someone else to do it in my place."

"No way! I went through all that trouble to get him here!"

"Must I remind you that this is my company? I can cancel the interview myself if you don't."

He had compelled me into playing my trumph card. I absolutely hated doing this. It was just plain rude. But what other option had he left me? I either had to do what I was doing now or I had to face _him._

My brother clearly understood that there was no way of forcing me into meeting Tezuka until I wanted to so he picked up his phone and mutterred a few instructions.

"It's taken care of." he said disappointed and stepped out of the cabin. As if I had let him down so much he couldn't bear to sit in the same room as me.

I knew that what he was doing was for my own good but I somehow managed to coax myself into believing that it wasn't.

I walked back to my cabin only to find someone I hadn't met for almost ten years!

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffie! I know I'm a bit sadistic. But I LOVE the word suspense! I won't be able to upload the next chapterfor a while. But if I get more than 5 reviews, I will make time to do it within the next week. R&amp;R!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: A Blast from the Past

**Hey! Sorry for the late update. I was really busy with school this past year. I know this is a short chapter but I'll be uploading one more in a day or two.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except this story.**

** Way Back To Your Heart**

** Chapter 5: Blast From the Past**

I was annoyed with my brother as I turned the knob of my cabin door. But as I stepped in, I saw someone I had not met for nearly ten years and the anger faded away.

His jet black hair was no longer concealed under a cap and had been cropped short. His physique was like never before. He looked worn out. The muscular form he previously had was no longer noticeable and he seemed weak.

"Sanada?" I said. It nearly sounded like a question.

"You remember me. That's a relief." He joked.

"What brings you here?"

"Well, I came looking for a job."

"A job?! Shouldn't you be playing on a court in Wimbledon or something?" I questioned.

"That was the plan originally, but it didn't work out."

"What happened?"

"I dropped out of high school to pursue a very promising career in tennis. I even relocated to London with my older brother but whilst my few years in the spotlight, I was severely injured in a car crash and haven't been able to play ever since. I couldn't even get a decent job since I don't have a degree in hand and when I came to know about how successful you've become, I thought…" He cut off and quietly handed me an envelope containing his resume.

"Not needed" I said handing it back to him.

"Fuji-san, please help me out here, I re-"

"I don't want to look at your resume because I know how devoted you are to tennis. You're known to have a very accurate eye and I definitely need someone like that. Let my assistant know what salary you're looking for and he'll tell you all the benefits that come along with your job as well. You mind starting from tomorrow? I need someone as soon as possible." I said cutting him off completely.

"Fuji-san, how could I ever repay you?"

"Well you can start off by calling me Syuurei." I replied.

"Arigatou"

"It's alright." I said as I picked up the phone and informed my assistant about the job. Soon, Sanada had completed all the formalities and was officially my employee. Deep inside I felt rotten.

Truth be told, when Sanada asked me about the job my head was so full of Tezuka. All I could think of was that if Sanada worked here, I would never have to face Tezuka again! If someone with analytic experience was needed to interview him, Sanada was just as good. I knew it was selfish but I wasn't quite ready to face him yet.

Days past and I had not heard the word 'Tezuka' and I was grateful for it. One Sunday morning, my son woke up extremely cheerful.

"You woke up early and you also seem quite happy. Did you have a good dream or something?" I asked a smiling Naoki at the breakfast table.

"It wasn't a good dream. More of a good reality. I'm starting tennis coaching today remember?"

That's when I remembered the promise I had made to my son a long time ago. I had told him that once his winter vacations start, I would coach him so that he would be the next tensai. I had a lot of work at the office but I called it all off .

Before we could start I said to my son "I haven't played for quite a while now. Mind if I warm up with uncle Yuuta?"

The first few games were off for both of us but I managed to win the set.

"Still a tensai." My brother remarked as he pulled me into bear hug.

"Aniki!"

"My turn! My turn!" Said an excited Naoki.

The day with Naoki was quite… unexpected. I gave him a few tips and he tried his hand out with Yuuta first. But before he could be beaten by his nephew, Yuuta handed over his racquet to me and declared retirement.

I had completely defeated my son in two matches when it happened. Out of nowhere, my son pulled out a shot I was more than familiar with. A zero-shiki drop shot.

Yuuta left the newspaper he was pretending to read and rushed to prevent me from fainting and falling to the ground.

I gained consciousness and when I opened my eyes, I saw Tezuka. "Are you okay mom?" he asked worried.

That wasn't Tezuka. That was my son. I pulled him into a hug as soon as that struck me and for some reason I was consoling him. Yuuta walked by and said "Naoki, I need a minute with your mother."

Naoki ran off to his room confused and visibly tensed. Yuuta sat down beside me and stared quietly till I spoke.

"It's been so long since I've seen that shot and to think that he did it with such precision…" that's when it hit me. "How did he learn that shot anyway? Did you tell him about it? Did he see it on TV? Or maybe read about it in a magazine. Does he know about Tezuka?" I had several other questions when my brother took my hand in his.

"Look, he's not only your son. He has some of Tezuka's talent as well."

"Yeah but to duplicate that shot! Even I cannot do it with such… perfection!" I said. He knew I was right.

"I'll talk to him okay? Ask him where he learnt it. But you've got to be ready for it if he says he learnt it from Tezuka."

"Okay." I said not knowing what I would soon be facing.

**Naoki's POV**

I was having an amazing time defeating uncle Yuuta. He knew he would be crushed and humiliated and so he retired and handed over his racquet to mom.

We had a good time too; until I pulled out my special drop shot. It was something I wanted to show mom for a while. I wanted her to be proud of me but instead, she fainted.

She must've been weak because of all the exertion. No that wasn't it. She fainted because of something else. I could read it from uncle Yuuta's face.

Uncle Yuuta carried her to her room and went downstairs to fetch a glass of water. Meanwhile, she started talking in her sleep. "Te- Tezuka. Zero-shiki. Naoki"

That's when she woke up. On seeing me, she looked bewildered. Like she had just seen a ghost.

"Are you okay mom?" I asked and she grabbed me into a hug and consoled me as if I was the one who needed consoling.

Uncle Yuuta came in and seeing mom awake, he told me to go to my room. I walked out of mom's room, worried but I didn't go to my room. I was on my way to the living room where the laptop lay idle. Uncle Yuuta wouldn't be here for a while. It gave me enough time.

In her sleep, my mother had mentioned some 'tezuka' and 'zero-shiki' and then my name. I needed to know what she was talking about if I wanted to help.

I switched on the laptop praying nobody heard the startup sound. I quickly typed 'Tezuka zero-shiki' into the search engine and hit go. The results made me feel like I was hallucinating.

In the image results that popped up there was a man holding a U.S Open cup. The caption read 'Tezuka Kunimitsu at the U.S Open final" He was a complete replica of me except for his eyes. They were hazel brown. I erased the search history and logged out and raced to my room and shut the door. I settled to the floor trying to digest the bitter truth.

That man with the trophy. What if he wasn't a replica of me? What if I was a replica of him? The hair, the expression it was scary how alike we looked. I ran to the mirror staring into the brilliant blue eyes of the image. These eyes were my mother's so did that mean that the rest of me was a carbon copy of my _father_?

Was I the son of a tennis superstar? Why had mom hidden this fact from me? Why had she kept it a secret all this while? Had he abandoned us to become a star? I needed answers so I marched up to my mother's room but stopped short.

"I'll talk to him okay? Ask him where he learnt it. But you've got to be ready for it if he says he learnt it from Tezuka" said uncle Yuuta.

"Okay" replied mom.

I ran off to my room and a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

**Review Please!**


	6. Chapter 6: An Old Friend

**Way Back To Your Heart**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT! This story on the other hand is very much mine. :)**

**Read and REVIEW!**

**Chapter 6: An Old Friend**

**Syuurei's PoV**

I sent Yuuta to talk to Naoki about the Zero- shiki but his only reply was that it came instinctively. My son never lied so I didn't bother double checking.

I had to accept the fact that he was also Tezuka's son and such shots may just be natural for him. But no matter how much he resembled Tezuka in his very appearance, his form of play, his attitude, to me he was only _my son_.

A week had passed from the day my son had played a shot that even I after years of hard practice could not replicate perfectly. But his version of it was so perfect that it knocked the breath out of me. I felt like a horrible mother because I was angry at my child for performing a shot that I should have been proud of. The question was 'was I really angry at him? Myself? Or his father?'

My whole family including my son looked at me with pity and confusion at home since that day. They probably expected me to break down or something but I knew better than to reveal my weakness to them. What I didn't comprehend was why I was about to do something I had not done in quite a while.

I parked my car in front of his house and mustered up the courage to walk to the door. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. There was no answer for quite some time so I turned towards my car when the door opened behind me.

I turned around and was filled with happiness when I saw- a much taller- Kikumura Eiji stand in front of me. He seemed to recognize me instantly because he pulled me into a bear hug.

As soon as he let go of me, I asked "how did you rec-?"

"I could never forget a person whose number I've dialed every day for the past ten years wishing you would pick up sooner or later and tell me that you are okay. A person to whom I've sent a thousand emails and not once got a reply even though I get a notification that it's been read. A person who used to be my best friend but didn't care to even say goodbye before disappearing like that."

I felt guilty as hell. When I found out I was pregnant I moved at the earliest and I didn't have the courage to say goodbye especially to Eiji _because_ he was my best friend.

"I'm sorry" I muttered.

"I know you wouldn't do that without a valid reason so come on in and please don't prove me wrong." He said almost begging.

He poured a cup of tea and got out a few snacks. His family was on vacation and he stayed behind because of training. Eiji played tennis for a few years till he won a grand slam along with Oishi his high school doubles partner and then he retired and started a tennis school while Oishi continued as a singles player.

After we had chatted about his past, he inquired about mine. "You still haven't told me what happened to you all these years."

"It's really hard to explain but why don't you come over to my place this evening and see for yourself?" I said as I wrote down my address.

He looked worried but agreed either way.

That evening, just after I picked Naoki up from school the sound of the doorbell brought me running downstairs. I answered the door only to find Eiji waiting outside with his goofy smile.

I sat him down and offered a few snack and tea and called my brother.

"Aniki do you mind chatting with Eiji for five minutes. Brief him about you know... Don't go too much in detail. I'll be down with him in five minutes ok? Oh and do not mention that Tezuka's the father! I don't want you to be the one to freak him out."

My brother nodded with a smile on his face. I glared at him and went up to Naoki's room to find him doing his homework. I sat down on the bed beside him.

"You have friends in school right?" I said

"Yeah…" he replied concentrating in his work.

"I was quite popular in school myself. I had a LOT of really close friends."

"Aha…" I hated it when he acted the same way his father would have.

"Well, one of them is here to see you Naoki. You're going to love him."

He dropped his pencil at this and looked hazed.

"What's the matter Naoki?"

"Nothing mom. Is he downstairs?" he said suddenly excited.

"Yeah" I replied puzzled why my son would have such a reaction.

We went downstairs and as soon as they saw each other, Naoki looked disappointed while on the other hand, Eiji was in disbelief.

"Syuurei, why does he look so much like Te-" Eiji murmured as Aniki elbowed him shut.

He walked up to my son and crouched till he was at his eye level and lent out his hand. "Hi. I'm Kikumaru Eiji. Your mom's best friend."

"Hello" Naoki greeted him back.

They chatted for a while and then Naoki went up to his room, as was driving Eiji back home because his car was out of gas and so we had a lot of time to talk.

"So you had Buchou's baby huh? That's clearly why you disappeared." He commented.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you all this before and that I couldn't say goodbye. Also Eiji, thank you for sending me an email practically every day. You have no idea how you helped me through the toughest times."

"I am an awesome friend." He said jokingly.

"Does he know?" I remained silent. "I thought so" he said

"So how's the training school going?" I inquired.

"Well, I'm glad Nanjiroh-san helped me out with it a bit. He taught me a few tricks and I think I've got everything under control"

"Then do you mind if I enroll Naoki? He's been longing for a good trainer and I'm too busy with work. I can totally trust your training."

"Sure! I'll feel like I'm training buchou-" he cut shot seeing my cheerful attitude fade away.

"Do you want me to talk to buchou about this whole… situation" he offered.

I hit the brakes hard enough for us to jerk forwards and said with tears in my eyes. "You will never do that Eiji. Tezuka must remain completely clueless about Naoki and me for that matter or else I will be forced to move out of town again."

We drove in silence till we reached his house and said goodbye. As I drove back home, I saw a car parked in the driveway. I walked to the door and opened it only to find Sanada sitting in the living room. I glanced at my brother worried and he nodded silently saying 'It's alright. He doesn't know.'

"Sanada. What brings you here?"

"I needed your signatures on these papers. I have to interview a player at Narita and they said they needed your permission first."

"Sure" I said after reading and signing the papers, I handed them over to him and he went back home.

"There were a lot of close calls today huh?" remarked my brother as I collapsed onto the recliner.

"Sure were." I replied with a bitter tone.

**Naoki's PoV**

I was busy doing my homework when mom entered my room.

"You have friends in school right?" mom said.

"Yeah…" I replied concentrating on my work.

"I was quite popular in school myself. I had a LOT of really close friends."

"Aha…" Mom never disturbed me whilst I was doing my homework. There must be something important.

"Well, one of them is here to see you Naoki. You're going to love him." Well there it was!

I dropped my pencil and almost lost my calm, composed expression for a minute. Did mom just say one of her _close friends_ was _here_? _Dad was here? _Finally!

"What's the matter Naoki?"

"Nothing mom. Is he downstairs?" I said suddenly excited.

"Yeah" she replied looking puzzled and I was too excited to compose myself.

I rushed downstairs but to my disappointment, instead of the great Tezuka Kunimitsu stood a red head.

"Syuurei, why does he look so much like Te-" the red head murmured and uncle Yuuta elbowed him shut. Aha! So he knew my father!

He walked up to me and crouched till he was at me eye level and lent out his hand. "Hi. I'm Kikumaru Eiji. Your mom's best friend."

"Hello" I greeted him back secretly happy. The man didn't look very smart. It would be easy to get some information out of him. But I would have to do that when mom wasn't around.

He spoke to me for a while. Mainly about how old I was and which school I went. I soon bid him farewell and walked back to my room.

As soon as I was in my room, I raced to my study desk. I glanced at my school timetable. "Yes!" I said. I had computer class the next day. I could research about this Eiji person tomorrow.

I doubted the man. He said he was my _mom's_ best friend? I had heard stories about my mom's friends from uncle Yuuta and mom before. I had heard quite a few about a girl called Sakuno about a boy called Echizen, there was a Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Kawamura, Inui, Tomoka and of course my mom's coach.

If this man was my mom's best friend, how come she had never mentioned him before?

I needed answers and I was positive that the internet would not be able to provide me answers about who my mom's best friend was.

There was a knock on my door and my mom peered in.

"Not sleeping yet?" she said.

"About to." I replied as I slid into my bed.

She sat on the bed and tucked me in. "Uncle Yuuta and I will be going to attend to a few things in the China branch for the next two days. Will you be okay with just grandma here?"

"Sure mom. Grandma's fun."

"Okay then. Don't give her too much of trouble okay?"

"Okay mom."

She switched off the lights and shut the door. It was the perfect opportunity. No one but grandma was going to be home for the next two days. That meant that the attic would be unattended to since it's too dark for grandma to go in there.I closed my eyes and dozed off.

The next day would be a day of revelation. I was positive.

**Review! Chapter 7 will be out this coming week I promise. :)**


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